Protest rules for small groups relaxed on Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge district board has relaxed restrictions on small groups of protesters, a move spurred by a lawsuit that said officials violated free speech rights.

The change has a direct impact on small groups of 50 and under, which had been required to obtain permits in order to assemble on the span and could not bring bullhorns or hand-held signs.

Now under the new rules, which went into place last week, groups with up to 50 people can have up to 50 signs — one per person — without a permit. They can also have two bullhorns. Larger groups still will have to obtain permits.

"There is a very delicate balance," said Kary Witt, bridge manager. "We want to support First Amendment rights and the right for people to assemble and express themselves. And as an international icon, many find the bridge a good backdrop to do that. But we also have a responsibility to those who use the bridge as a transportation link."

To that end the new rules still limit activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside of commute periods.

"We still have a cap on time because we don't want to snarl the commute," said Mary Currie, district spokeswoman. "People tend to stop and look and try to read signs and that can tie up traffic quickly."

Witt said safety is an issue as well. "We have 10-foot wide lanes with people traveling at 45 mph in varying weather conditions and anything that distracts drivers is a potential safety hazard," he said.

In another change, the district previously had limited protests to not more than two in one day. Now there will not be a limit to permitted events if there is a break of at least an hour between each activity.

In January 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled some of the bridge district rules were too restrictive.

The lawsuit was based on two complaints. One was from a man who went to the bridge in 2008 to protest China, which had the Olympics that year. He was carrying a sign and was ordered to hand it over and when he declined he was taken to the ground by bridge officers, according to the lawsuit.

The anti-war group Code Pink also was a plaintiff, saying the regulations placed on its bridge walks restricted the group's freedom of speech.